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Una Mullally

Society, life and culture on the edge

RBMA #2: 12 Years of DFA

At the Red Bull Music Academy, and hell, in NYC in general, the presence and influence of DFA continues to loom large.

Una Mullally

Una

Thu, May 9, 2013, 11:17

A list of definitive New York bands. Who’s going to be on it? The Velvet Underground. The New York Dolls. Blondie. The Ramones. Talking Heads. Wu Tang Clan. Beastie Boys. Sonic Youth. Yeah Yeah Yeahs. LCD Soundsystem.

Since LCD flipped the off switch, the stable of DFA has continued to exert a presence, through its sound, its sentiment, and the figure of the jaded indie ringmaster of James Murphy continuing to cast a shadow over the New York sound and the New York scene. I think Murphy’s various DJ appearances at festivals across the US and Europe have been kind of bittersweet. We want to hear the tunes he plays, but we’d prefer to see LCD up there. Even ‘Shut Up And Play The Hits’ was a muted sort of closing bell, a concert documentary that left one wondering why they hell they were pulling the plug, as opposed to a massive celebration.

A short film that RBMA has produced with m ss ng p eces takes a bigger picture look at the history of the label founded by Murphy, Tim Goldsworthy and Jonathan Galkin. It’s called ‘Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic’, a title and a label motto which not only captures the knowing ennui of LCD and the DFA stable, but also highlights what many LCD fans knew the second you first listened to them, and continue to realise now, that this band will live on to become a classic one, we’re just to close to their output to label them as such without sounding like every LCD lover does – a massive fan. 10 years after the label’s first compilation (which featured LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Black Dice and The Juan MacLean) and 12 years after the label was founded, check out the film:

On May 25th, at the ongoing Red Bull Music Academy, the label will be celebrated at this event featuring Murphy, Shit Robot, Yacht, Factory Floor, Black Dice, Nancy Whang and loads more are performing at.